1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the covering or sealing of one or more articles, and especially to multi-pack carriers for an array of containers, such as the common six-pack beverage can container.
2. Prior Art
It is well known to connect an array of articles by means of a plastic carrier in order to package them as a single unit. There are many packages of this general type, representative carriers and packaging machines being disclosed by Poupitch in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,874,835, 2,929,181 and 2,936,070, by Hall et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,944, by Fisher in U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,230, by Dreyfus in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,626, by Curry et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,134,485 and 3,206,019, and by Bonkowski in U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,502. In addition, carriers which incorporate a cover of some type over the containers are disclosed by Harrison in U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,711, by Rapata in U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,944, by Poupitch in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,013, by Hatfield in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,699, and by Curry et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,331. Most of these carriers include either a first carrier layer, and a second cover layer or require the presence of a bead on the rims of the containers, or both.
As the foregoing patents evidence, simple and effective seals and carriers for containers have long been sought. Today, such seals or closures often take the form of a cap threaded about the top of the container, or crimped about the rim of the container. To prevent tampering with the contents, often such containers include one or more additional seals such as an adhesively secured disc beneath the cap and covering the mouth of the container. In high volume packaging applications, such caps must be applied at a rapid rate, and such seals also must be applied at a rapid rate. The machinery for doing this is complex, expensive, and requires constant and substantial maintenance to function properly. Also, such closures represent a significant portion of the total cost of the package.
Often containers are packaged in arrays and held together by various forms of carriers, one of which is the common 6-pack carrier, a stretchable plastic sheet with six openings for receiving the tops of the containers and engaging the underside of the rim about the tops to hold the containers in an array. Such carriers also are difficult to apply, and require expensive machinery that needs constant attention to function properly. Further, the carriers, when used and discarded, represent a significant threat both to the environment and to wildlife. Also, such carriers fail to seal or otherwise cover the tops of the containers and thus permit their contamination. There is a growing need and desire for such carriers that are easily applied by simple machinery, that are inexpensive, and that also cover and seal the top portions of the containers in the array.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple one-piece closely fitting cover or sealant for an article. The pharmaceutical industry is an example of one area in which manufacturers have become aware of the need for providing a simple, economical means of effectively sealing their products in order to prevent outside tampering. As instances of tampering become more widespread, other manufacturers who package products for human consumption will also require a simple method for sealing their products. The present invention provides such a method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier which does not require a bead or ridge of any type on the rim of the article in order to securely hold the container, permitting the carrier to be used with a wide variety of container types and styles.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of creating a carrier or seal which does not require the heating and forming processes for the covering material to be conducted in proximity to the articles to be covered.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a simple, economical method for creating pull-top or tamper-proof type seals for articles, by varying the shape of the portion of covering material heated to a configuration which does not necessarily correspond to the shape of the article to be covered.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of creating a carrier or seal which does not require a forming device with an aperture the same shape as the article to be covered, and which readily lends itself to high volume applications.
In addition, the present invention provides a cover for one or more articles that can incorporate thin and thick areas, or patterned areas, over or adjacent each covered article for various purposes, such as to expedite removal of the cover, or to provide decoration, or to readily fracture if the cover is disturbed.